At the end of our road trip through the Black Hills in September, we only drove into the park because we had run out of time to go all the way up to the Badlands, yet wanted to see a little bit more and maybe relax in nature for a bit.

No one had recommended the park to us, we just happened to be near it after visiting the Crazy Horse Monument. Since that wonderful discovery, I have recommended Custer State Park with its beautiful lakes, forests, mountains, wildflowers, easily visible wildlife and astonishing Needles Highway to everyone willing to listen. And we definitely want to go back in the summer to explore the Wildlife Loop, drive up Needles Highway again and maybe stay for a few days of relaxing, fishing, reading and shooting a lot more pictures and videos.

One of the big draws of the park are all the wild animals that you get to see roaming freely, including wild turkeys, mountain goats, elks and 1500 buffaloes (which actually should be referred to as bison, but somehow the name buffalo sticks)! We didn’t see any of the “begging burros” because those hang out around the Wildlife Loop, which we didn’t drive down. Next time…

Watching the sunset at Sylvan Lake (which gives the impression that it’s on top of the world, far, far away from all worries and bad feelings) has been one of the most beautiful and meaningful experiences of 2014 and will be something I don’t think I’ll ever forget.

The reason why it’s taken me so long to publish the video about it, which I filmed back in September 2014, is that I didn’t want to rush the edit and other videos kept coming in-between. Next week, I plan to publish a video focusing just on Needles Highway, which I consider a must-see sight.

A Moving Postcard is a short video showing a place or an event. These are either 1-minute videos or longer versions of those videos - all shot and edited by me, Luci Westphal, a German New Yorker currently exploring Colorado and the Wild West.

So go ahead, come on a short trip with me or send someone else a Moving Postcard.